MINNEAPOLIS — For Minnesota Duluth rising sophomore defenseman Adam Kleber, the lasting memory for him from

his first IIHF World Junior Championship in 2025

in Ottawa, Canada, was standing on the blue line at the end of the tournament, singing the national anthem of the United States of America.

It’s a memory that fuels the Chaska, Minnesota-native as he practices and plays this week at

USA Hockey’s World Junior Summer Showcase

on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. The event features squads from the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden.

Exhibition games run through Saturday at Ridder Arena.

The showcase is part of the national team selection process for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in December and January at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis

at what is currently known as Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Duluth

will be hosting pre-tournament games

in December.

Kleber, a 2024 second-round NHL draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, said he doesn’t want to be listening to any national anthem but his own come January in St. Paul.

Bjorn Franke / USA Hockey

“You don’t want to be singing any other team’s national anthem. That’s a real motivator, especially having it be in Minnesota,” Kleber said. “We’re playing for a lot more than just a gold medal. We’re playing for our country, the home country.”

Kleber is seeking his second World Juniors gold medal while the U.S. is going after a third straight. He said this week in Minneapolis is about proving to the coaching staff — led by the Gophers’ Bob Motzko — that he can take on a bigger role and be more of an impact player in 2026 than he did in 2025 when he had a single assist in six games.

“I’m just trying to take a bigger role, trying to command more on the ice and have more of a killer mentality out there,” he said.

Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group

Physically, Kleber has brought a larger presence to the ice. He’s visibly stronger, and taller, than the lanky 6-foot-5, 210-pound freshman who put up two goals and three assists in 33 games last season with the Bulldogs.

Kleber has spent the summer working out back home in the Twin Cities, focusing more on his strength and mobility — being more of an athlete — than his skating. He’s skated less this summer than in the past, but that’s starting to ramp up, he said.

“Just a big, strong, positive presence,” Motzko said in his assessment of Kleber. “All these teams are going to say returning players take that next step. For us, it’s those kids who come back for their sophomore year of college that take those big steps. We watch it year after year.”

Sunday and Monday’s split-squad games for the United States against Sweden and Finland in Minneapolis were Kleber’s first hockey games since the Bulldogs’ season ended on March 15 at Arizona State in the NCHC quarterfinals.

The U.S. will combine its two teams for exhibitions on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at Ridder Arena.

The Bulldogs still have another two months off before playing games, opening the 2025-26 season with a trip to play the Alaska Nanooks in Fairbanks on Oct. 3-4.

“It’s getting to the point where I’m hitting the wall in the offseason with working out,” Kleber said. “You just want to start playing games and get the season rolling.”

Fall camp begins Tuesday for most college football teams across the country, which means players are back on the practice field and the final run-up to the 2025 season is officially underway.

This is a time of year when coaches and fans learn a lot about their teams. It’s the first change to observe some freshmen and transfers in pads. It’s also the moment when depth chart battles really begin to take shape.

Ahead of fall camp, these are several players who need a strong preseason showing for a variety of reasons, including several household names. Whether they are high-profile transfers trying to make an immediate impact, or program stalwarts looking for a breakout season, each of these players have something to prove as the 2025 college football season rapidly approaches.

Beck is one of the highest, if not the highest, paid players in college football with a NIL deal of over $3 million a year. He’s the player Miami banked its 2025 hopes upon. He also really didn’t throw much in the spring while recovering from UCL surgery. That means fall camp is the first time, at least in organized team activities, that Beck will take command. That’s a challenge given one of the tasks in front of him is developing rhythm and timing with an unproven group of Hurricane wide receivers.

The stakes are high for both Beck and Miami (the Hurricanes have the second-best odds to win the ACC, per DraftKings Sportsbook). Beck needs to be way more like the 2023 version of himself — one that drew first-round hype — than the 2024 version, which struggled with turnovers. That’s the only way he’s going to work himself back into NFL Draft consideration. Miami needs Beck to be that 2023 version of himself as well if it wants to avoid a major drop off from the offense Cam Ward led a season ago.

Fall camp will be our first peek into whether Beck is fully recovered and can carry the load Miami will ask him to in a pass-happy offense. 

Saying it’s now or never for Keeley feels extreme entering his third season. But the top-rated edge rusher from the 2023 class is in desperate need of a strong camp to establish himself as a rotational piece. Keeley’s been a non-factor for the Tide his first two seasons with only 24 career snaps.

Keeley will play a new position in 2025, moving from outside linebacker to strongside defensive end. He won’t start at that spot, however. That role belongs to star Alabama edge LT Overton. But he should at least emerge as part of the rotation for an Alabama front that lacks proven pass rushing production. If he can’t … Keeley begins to track toward the bust label every five-star recruit hopes to avoid.

Harold Perkins, LB, LSU

Another year, another new position. A breakout superstar on the edge as a true freshman, Perkins has bounced around between edge, inside linebacker and SAM linebacker. He’ll play another position as a senior, STAR, a hybrid linebacker and safety, as LSU looks to make him more comfortable (he struggled to carry weight as an inside linebacker) and get the most out of his versatility and athletic ability.

Beyond the position change, there’s added intrigue with Perkins in fall camp as he returns from an ACL injury that cost him much of the 2024 season. How Perkins returns from injury and adjusts to life at STAR will determine a lot about the ceiling of LSU’s defense in 2025. We’re not too far removed from freshman year Perkins being one of the best overall defenders in college football. The Tigers desperately need him to regain that form as they hope to improve from 89th nationally in yards allowed per play.

All eyes are on wide receiver in Happy Valley, but there’s a very intriguing right tackle competition on deck for the Nittany Lions. Back in the 2021 class Rucci ranked as the No. 17 overall player in the country. He played sparingly for Wisconsin for three seasons before transferring to Penn State last offseason. Rucci emerged as a contributor last season, making six starts and playing 600-plus snaps. But those starts only occurred after PSU’s campaign-opening right tackle, Anthony Donkoh, suffered a season-ending injury. Donkoh’s return — along with the fact both Rucci and Donkoh missed spring practice with injuries — sets up a very intriguing position battle in fall camp. Perhaps the Nittany Lions shuffle things around and both find starting spots on the o-line; Donkoh has experience at guard. But, if they don’t … Rucci could be competing for his football future ahead of his fifth and final college football season.

Career-defining year for James Franklin: Why Penn State coach is set up to change narrative in 2025 season

Tom Fornelli

Benson was a spring practice star for Alabama in 2023 but never lived up to that hype with just 162 yards that season. Then he entered the portal and moved on to Florida State, where he had solid (25 catches, 311 yards) production. Then Benson entered the portal again, ending up in Eugene, where he’s hopeful the third time is the charm.

Benson needs to have a strong fall camp to establish himself as a starter and go-to target for whomever emerges as QB1 for the Ducks (likely Dante Moore). Oregon needs Benson, a four-star transfer receiver, to step up in fall camp after the season-ending offseason injury to superstar wide receiver Evan Stewart. The Ducks lack a go-to option without Stewart. Benson could be that guy, or at least a vertical field stretcher who can win some one-on-one opportunities with his sheer athleticism. But fall camp is when the hype around the former No. 1 JUCO prospect needs to translate. If not, the Ducks have plenty of other younger receivers who are a threat to pass him on the depth chart.

BYU QB room

Jake Retzlaff’s exit from the BYU program — stemming from an honor code violation suspension — creates one of the few (if not the only) legitimately wide open Power Four quarterback battle of fall camp.

The job figures to come down to McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet, a pair of transfers who were initially jostling to be Retzlaff’s backup. Both have starting experience. Hillstead started for Utah State as a true freshman in 2023, while Bourguet has started multiple games for Western Michigan in his career. There’s also Stanford transfer Bear Bachmeier to consider, but he’s a bit behind the other two given he didn’t participate in spring practice. There’s a ton of pressure on the entire room to perform in fall camp and take a suddenly open job. Not to mention, BYU is coming off its best season of the 21st century. The Cougars need one of them to emerge as a difference maker and help continue that momentum.

Augustave led Colorado in rushing a season ago with 384 yards, but his task could be much different in 2025 with the Gamecocks. South Carolina entered the spring thinking star Utah State running back transfer Rahsul Faison would take over as RB1. But Faison’s status is caught up in NCAA eligibility limbo. Thus, the Gamecocks were forced to go to the portal this summer and add Augustave. If Faison isn’t eligible to play this season, the Gamecocks’ running back room figures to be a combination of sixth-year senior Oscar Adaway, who ran for 295 yards last season, and Augustave.

Adaway is a proven presence, though one who was only mildly effective in 2024 while averaging 3.8 yards per carry — he averaged almost a full yard fewer (3.69 vs. 2.75) after contact than starter Raheim Sanders. Augustave is a bigger back at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds who could conceivably take on a larger down-to-down role, especially when you consider he averaged 3.4 yards after contact last year despite playing behind a horrid run blocking unit with Colorado. But he’s also arriving post-spring and will be behind with his comfort in the offense. Either way, the Gamecocks need someone to emerge as a difference maker at running back. There’s a lot of belief in LaNorris Sellers around Columbia, but the wide receiver room there was already a big question mark. The running game, which also involves Sellers, needs to be a strength.

On paper, Niblack is exactly what the Aggies need to give their tight end room a jolt. Texas A&M lacked a true pass catching threat at the position a season ago (nobody on the roster cleared the 300-yard barrier), which didn’t help what was generally an underwhelming passing attack. This led to an offseason overhaul at tight end with three transfer additions along with top 50 freshman Kiotti Armstrong. Niblack is arguably the most intriguing of those veterans. A dangerous — at least on paper — pass catcher at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Niblack caught 20 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns for Alabama in 2023. He then transferred to Texas, where he was expected to make a big impact. Instead, he fell out of the rotation by season’s end, finishing with just five catches for 33 yards.

The Aggies could use a strong year from Niblack given his pass game capabilities. But, he’ll need to show significant strides as a blocker in fall camp to carve out any sort of major role. Otherwise, he’s at risk of a second straight underwhelming season in the Lone Star State after such a promising start to his career in Tuscaloosa.

Underwood was always going to be the favorite to start for Michigan. The Wolverines have far too much invested from an NIL standpoint for him to sit. The early returns on Underwood have been immensely positive, and CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz pegged him as the “clear favorite” to be QB1 for the Wolverines in their opener.

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have plenty to prove in fall camp. The biggest potential hurdle to his starting path is likely Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene, who missed most of the spring with an upper body injury. Keene is familiar with Wolverines OC Chip Lindsey, having played for him at UCF in 2022. He also brings an experience — 8,245 career passing yards — Underwood lacks.

Underwood will need to beat out Keene and continue to show the necessary maturity and comfort in the offense to be a Week 1 starter for the Wolverines. I’d bet on that happening.

Texas needs someone to emerge as a difference maker at DT after several losses to the NFL and many to the portal. And while Purdue transfer Cole Brevard and Maryland transfer Maraad Watson feel like safter bets to contribute for Texas next year, arguably the most talented transfer DT the Longhorns brought in is Shaw.

A former five-star recruit who never emerged as a full-time starter in three years at North Carolina, Shaw is the type of talent who could change the complexion of Texas’ defensive line. The Longhorns made a bet that change in circumstance and environment could give Shaw a jolt ahead of his senior season. Entering fall camp, it’s up to Shaw to show he’s capable of more consistent play. If he can reach his ceiling, much like Alfred Collins did a season ago after bouts of uneven production for most of his career, the Longhorns added someone with the ability to change the defense’s ceiling.  

Joe Battista speaking on “service to others” with the May River High School Band in Blufton, S.C.

We just completed our eighth year of Overspeed Hockey camps in Sun Valley, Idaho. That’s 16 weeks of service to over 700 kids predominantly from Idaho but with some coming from Washington, Oregon, Montana, California, Utah, Wyoming and even as far away as Florida, It’s a great camp in a gorgeous area of the country. 

What has made it so successful? I believe it’s our collective staff’s culture of service to our customers. We genuinely care about the kids having a great experience. It starts with Toby O’Brien, the owner of Overspeed Hockey, who is so passionate about what he does that it’s infectious to all around him. Toby has very few rules for our staff and campers. Respect each other, communicate and have fun. 

But in his thick New England accent he emphasizes the most important one: “Don’t be a jehk.” Translation…”Don’t be a jerk.” Toby always goes above and beyond in his service to others. He and his wife, Kate (our unsung hero), treat our staff so well and model the commitment to the principles of running a great camp.

Why do we care so much about the kids? Why do we bend over to tie and eventually re-tie kid’s skates? Why do we pick up the garbage and used tape occasionally left behind in locker rooms? Why do we console the campers, young and old, when their egos get bruised because they let in a goal or missed a great scoring chance? Why do we take the time to high-five every camper coming off the ice and remain in the lobby to chat with parents?

Because we care. 

So, what makes us care? We genuinely want to serve others. We get a number of staff every summer who were recently campers themselves and they have continued that tradition of giving back with a smile. I truly believe that the vast majority of our society leans heavily toward being selfless and caring. You won’t find a lot written about it in the news media because it doesn’t fit the old adage “if it doesn’t bleed it doesn’t read.”

Hearing a group of thirty 6–10-year-olds screaming, “It’s a great day for hockey” at the top of their lungs just isn’t newsworthy. It’s so refreshing and enlightening to not have to worry about parents interceding and making it all about their child becoming the next Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid. I tell the kids how much joy they are to watch, and we help them develop skills on the ice and life skills for off the ice. It’s so rewarding.

Someone Has to Care 

May River High School Band Director Deb Hamner invited me to speak to her band students on the first day of band practice for the new school year about servant leadership and service to others. Me? The least musically gifted person I know, speaking to the band? 

Actually, I’ve spoken to them before and they’re one of the most respectful groups I’ve ever been with. Truth is, I have gotten to know Deb over the past year, and I watch her pour her soul into these young students. She is one of the most caring and giving individuals I see in my role with the South Coastal Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She wears so many hats and is involved in music in a big way above and beyond her role with May River High school.  

So, when she asked me to kick off their new school year I was thrilled to do so.  Because she cares so much and always puts service to others first, I was honored to assist. Deb inspires so many young people that I am humbled by her commitment to bring joy to others through music.

Service to Others Takes Many Forms

Last week on the Penn State campus an event took place that featured some of the university’s living legends who came together with others in the community for a worthy cause, supporting Penn State’s Adaptive Athletics program. Football royalty present at the event included former players Lydell Mitchell, Warren “Moose” Koegel, Chuck Burkhart, the incomparable Sue Paterno, Grammy award winning musician Mike Reid and Dana Harris, wife of PSU legend Franco Harris.

Penn State Adaptive Athletics returned to campus after being disrupted by COVID-19. My long-time friend and former Penn State women’s track coach Teri Jordan dedicated 20-plus years of her life to serving others, in this case, spearheading the adaptive athletics movement at Penn State and across the country. Talk about someone committed to service for others. I was there to see Teri struggle to get this program started and to get the support needed to help these incredible athletes.

If you want to learn more about the Adaptive Athletics Program, read this recent article by StateCollege.com writer Evan Halfen. My friend and Penn State donor Steve Kipp attended the event and shared the following appeal with me to support this worthy cause:

“On behalf of Sue Paterno, Dana Harris, the Board of Rise Above, and the entire Penn State Adaptive Athletics community, thank you for attending ‘Foundations: Building of a Penn State Sports Legacy’ last night, an event proudly hosted by Rise Above: Friends of Adaptive Athletics PSU, a dedicated 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN: 92-1910039) to benefit Penn State Adaptive Athletics.”

You can provide financial support to “Rise Above” through this link.

Service to others is a mindset, it is a passion, and it is a gift.  I hope that you will be inspired by Toby, Deb, Teri, Sue Paterno and the others mentioned above to go out and be a difference-maker.

Beginning Aug. 1, the Borough of State College will launch a six-month pilot program introducing new parking meter regulations in the downtown area. 

The new regulations will impose a two-hour maximum limit at on-street meters from Monday to Saturday until 5 p.m. After 5 p.m., the limit increases to three hours. During the pilot, “feeding the meter” beyond these time limits will be prohibited. Vehicles parked beyond the posted times may be subject to ticketing.

According to borough officials, the changes are intended to increase turnover and support accessibility to downtown shops, restaurants and services by encouraging short-term parking. 

Those seeking longer-term parking options are encouraged to use one of several downtown garages or lots. Monthly permits are available in limited quantities through the State College Borough Parking Department. Designated long-term parking areas include the Beaver, Fraser and Pugh St. garages, McAllister Deck and the Beaver Ave. surface lot.

MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE

This week, the State Theatre will host the latest installment to the Despicable Me franchise…